One Family's Sustainable Farming Experiences in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, USA

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

A Good Day's Work

We had another busy day trying to get as much done as we can before the cold weather sets in for good. Tom and my brother-in-law split wood for my Dad, and I worked in the back yard cleaning up the garden boxes. I picked out a spot behind the blackberry trellis and a couple of balsam trees to start the new compost pile. I couldn't believe all the garden trash I hauled to start the new pile, but the boxes look very nice and tomorrow I'll plant the garlic. I found a new pole to repair the broken end on the blackberry trellis so I'll fix that tomorrow, too.

I had planned to keep the apple and pear trees over winter in the garden boxes and transplant them to a permanent location next spring, but wouldn't you know it, around sunset two nice sized young bucks meandered into the yard and headed straight for one of the Honeycrisp apple trees. (Tom was ecstatic). We have about 80 acres of fresh deer browse, a quarter acre deer plot, and three gardens, and they go straight to the one fruit tree I've managed to get to grow in six years! I couldn't believe it. I ran out the back door and yelled at the one buck. (For some reason he has only one antler.) He just looked at me and grabbed a branch so I snatched up my hoe and charged at him. Of course, the two culprits took off, and I immediately went and got my shovel, some fence posts, and a roll of wire, and in the dwindling dusk set up a poor fence around the tree that I'll put up properly tomorrow. Sheesh! No rest for the wicked, I guess.

With seeds to harvest, sauerkraut to check, handkerchiefs to hem, and weaving books to study on top of everything else, my day's work is surely full. I have to tell you though that I feel a strange difference in my mental focus. I am much more, well, focused. It seems to be easier for me to zero in on whatever task I choose to accomplish and get it done. It's certainly a welcome new ability. I find that if I use self discipline to put aside negative thoughts and direct myself to the task at hand that I am far more successful in completing that task. I can't explain it, but being positive and alert to what transpires around me seems to bring beneficial opportunities to the fore. The work is not easy and the responsibilities are actually greater, but I am getting things done, and done well. Must be a Saturn aspect pinging me.

Oh, well. I'm too tired to start thinking about where Saturn is right now in my horoscope chart. I know that when I go to bed I'll fall asleep praying and I'll wake up finishing the prayer. That's just the way it goes sometimes.

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Rebuild America -- Buy American

Swamp Creek

About Our Farm

Swamp Creek Farm is part of my family's Homestead Act farm. My family has been farming this land since 1892. We are located near the Turtle Flambeau Flowage in the beautiful Heritage Area of Iron County, Wisconsin. We care what you eat and grow what we sell. Our heirloom or open pollinated produce is sustainably grown and available in season. When we have them, we also sell chickens and eggs from our flock of Dominique chickens. We are working on building our infrastructure and developing a diverse fruit and nut orchard; we are "into" permaculture! We sell from our farm and at local farmers markets only. We do not give tours at this time.